Electric-circuit controller



March 1929. a. N. WINEGARDEN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CONTROLLER Filed June 23, 1927 INVENTOR Patented Mar. 5, 1929.

UNITED STATES BENSON N. WINEGARDEN, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC-CIRCUIT CONTROLLER.

Application filed June 23,

My invention relates to electric circuit controllers or electric current distributing devices designed primarly for flashing electric signs, but it may be applied to other uses.

It is one object of this invention to provide a drum-type of current controller or distributor which is simple in construction and can be readily assembled to provide the drum with annular series of blocks, some or all of which in each series may be electric contacts, the remainder being insulators. Each series will have its blocks grouped or spaced so that the brush riding thereon will close or open circuits for displaying or cutting out certain electric lamps, as may be required to produce predetermined signs, letters, figures, etc.

Another object is to provide for the accommodation of a variable number of such series on the drum.

Another object is to provide novel means for spacing the several series of blocks and holding them in place.

Other objects appear hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my invention; Fig. 2, a section on the line IIII of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3, a section on the line III-III of Fig. 1.

On the drawings, 1 designates the base member of a frame having the two upstanding end members 2 in which the shaft 3 which supports the drum 4 is mounted to rotate. The shaft is driven by the pinion 4'.

The drum is made of good conducting material, as copper, and is preferably hollow. Its periphery has a series of parallel T- shaped grooves 5 running longitudinally thereof. For these grooves I provide three kinds of blocks, marked 6, 7 and 8, respectively. The blocks 6 and 7 are H-shaped in cross-section, the blocks 6 being contacts and composed of copper or other good conducting material, and the blocks 7 being com posed of bre or other non-conducting material. The blocks 8 are flat and composed of fibre or other non-conductor.

The blocks 6 and 7 are slid along the grooves 5 and assembled into a number of annular series 9, 1O, 11, 12, and 13, on which the brushes 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 respectively ride, the brushes being pivoted on the nonconducting rod 19 supported by the end members 2 of the frame. The T-shaped grooves 5 have their heads facing the axis 1927. Serial No. 200,807.

of the drum. One of the parallel members of each block is slid into the head part of a groove 5 with the cross member of the H- shaped block in the outwardly extending leg-member of the T-shaped groove. The remaining of the parallel members of each block lies just beyond the periphery of the drum. The blocks in each series are held in selected spaced relation from the blocks in the adjacent series by the fiat fibre blocks 8 which are slid in the head members of the T-shaped grooves 5. Blocks 8 also are placed in the grooves 5 against the outer ends of the end series 9 and 13 to hold the latter in place.

The wire 20 feeds current to the brush 1 1 and the Wires 21, 22, 23 and 24 conduct away the current to predetermined devices, as flash signals or signs, as each contact block 6 engages its proper brush. Current coming in on the wire 20 will pass through the brush 14 and certain of the contact blocks 6 of the series 9 and into the drum 4. As the drum rotates current will flow from the drum through the various contacts 6 as they engage the various brushes, whence the current goes out on the wires 20 to 24 to predetermined translating devices, such as electric lamps.

The contacts 6 and the insulators 7 will be arranged in each series to bring the current to the proper brushes and to maintain the current there the length of time desired. The blocks, 6, 7, and 8 can be made longer or shorter so as to provide for a maximum or a minimum number of annular series, or for any intermediate number.

I claim 1. In an electric current controller, a rotary drum having continuous peripherallyopen grooves extending longitudinally there of, the grooves being enlarged at their bottoms, a plurality of annular series of blocks each having enlarged ends connected by a Web, one of the enlarged ends and the web of each block being in a groove and the other of the enlarged ends being external of the drum, and some of the blocks being of conducting material and constituting contacts, insulating spacing blocks in the grooves between successive series of blocks, and a brush arranged to be engaged by each of the series of blocks as the drum rotates.

2. In an electric current controller, a rotary drum having continuous peripherall open grooves extending longitudinali y thereof, the grooves being enlarged at their bottoms, a plurality of annular series of blocks each having enlarged ends connected by a Web one of the enlarged ends and the eb of each block being in a groove and the other of the enlarged ends being external of the drum, and some of the blocks being of conducting material and constituting contacts insulating spacing blocks slidable in the grooves between successive series of 1 blocks and against the outer ends of the blocks in the terminal series, and a brush arranged to be engaged by each of the series of blocks as the drum rotates.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature. 4 i

' BENSON N. WINEGARDEN. 

